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Long Term Beneficiaries
United Future New Zealand proposes a two tiered approach to helping beneficiaries to self-reliance. Welfare systems must be designed first to help people recover from a set-back quickly so they do not become long term beneficiaries. Secondly, welfare systems must be designed to empower the longer term beneficiary to get back to rejoin the workforce.
Communities Managing & Coordinating their Welfare Issues
Each geographic and cultural community within New Zealand has varying needs. The government cannot make blanket proclamations for the entire country but must enable each community to examine its own unemployment and welfare situation.
Long-term welfare dependency is a debilitating situation. Perhaps the most difficult problem for those on welfare is breaking the cycle of dependency. Solutions must be developed by involving communities and co-ordinating support services.
Long-term welfare dependency is very different than temporary unemployment and should be treated as such. Long-term welfare dependants will be eligible for United's community based programmes if:
- they have been receiving an unemployment benefit or the Domestic Purposes Benefit for over one year or
- they have been on a sickness benefit for two years.
UNITED FUTURE WILL
- Fund regional programmes and initiatives (established by the communities themselves) which will help long-term beneficiaries return to the workforce.
- Establish guidelines by which communities and regional councils can apply for funding of community based welfare programmes.
- Fund programmes established by communities or regional agencies which examine specific community unemployment symptoms and the regional issues that create unemployment.
- Establish a policy advisory panel which examines the causes and problems of unemployment and welfare. This 'think tank' will advise government on actions that it can take to deal with national long-term unemployment.
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